The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Wednesday that it has
endorsed a plan by Oklahoma and four other states to protect the lesser
prairie chicken, a victory for those trying to keep the bird off the
federal list of protected species. Full Story >>

Michael Morris, president of AEP, says climate change legislation could be a good thing. If written correctly, action from Congress would at least keep the EPA from regulating carbon dioxide under the Clean Air Act.
Full Story >>

Range Resources was chastised by the EPA earlier this month when the
federal agency accused the Houston-based driller of contaminating
drinking water while drilling in the Barnett Shale. Now, a natural gas
industry newsletter says there's proof that natural gas has been
detected in water wells long before drilling began in the area. Full Story >>

The EPA issued an emergency order against Range Resources Tuesday,
accusing the company of contaminating an aquifer. The order was an
unprecedented move, in part because the federal body the state agency
responsible for overseeing oil and gas drilling in the state. Full Story >>

The EPA's new air quality regulations for the oil and gas industry take
affect in January, and independent producers across the state, including
the OIPA, say the new rules will be costly to the oil and gas industry
and put some marginal wells at risk. Full Story >>

The EPA has selected its Hydraulic Fracturing Study Plan Review Panel.
All but four of the 23 panel members are affiliated with research
universities and none is currently employed by an oil or natural gas
company. Six panel members are from Pennsylvania. Full Story >>

OIPA chairman Bob Sullivan appeared before Congress, offering a first
hand account of how EPA's enforcement practices negatively impact oil
and gas production in Oklahoma and across the country.Full Story >>

UPDATE: EPA region 6 administrator Al Armendariz has resigned after Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla, made public Armendariz's 2010 remarks that he sought to "crucify" companies that don't follow environmental regulations. Top administrator Lisa Jackson accepted Armendariz's resignation. "I respect the difficult decision he made and his wish to avoid distracting from the important work of the agency," Jackson said in a statement.

A roundup of oil and natural gas industry news from around the state, nation and world:• Measure banning local drilling rules passes Oklahoma House• Obama downplays Keystone, ignores State Department research on pipeline• Activists to blame seismicity on injection wells, but USGS sees it differently• Biofuel group proposes changes to RFS• Inhofe, GOP highlight state objections to EPA climate ruleFull Story >>

OIPA congratulates Scott Pruitt on his confirmation to lead the
Environmental Protection Agency. As a businessman and public servant,
Scott Pruitt understands the impact regulation and legislation have in
the business world, and the rational and reasonable approach to energy
regulation he will offer gives energy-producing states like Oklahoma
greater hope for a brighter future. Full Story >>

Scott Pruitt’s confirmation by the EPW committee is a step in the right
direction for Oklahoma’s oil and natural gas industry. For the past
eight years, increased, unnecessary and burdensome regulations have been put in
place by a White House administration bent on slowing oil and natural
gas production. Full Story >>

The Hill reports that Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee are working on a bill to limit EPA’s climate authority. The bill, energy subcommittee Chairman Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.) said, will be unveiled in the next four to six weeks. Full Story >>